A Perthshire businessman has unveiled pioneering hospitality software that means hotel guests can have no contact with staff at all.
Hop Software’s app can not only check in, pay bills and order room service but also open and lock hotel bedroom doors.
Director Richard Drummond, who is also co-owner of MacKays Hotel in Pitlochry, said the product was ideal to give guests confidence to return to hotels.
“Because Hop Software is a company started by hospitality people for hospitality people, we know the challenges our clients face,” he said.
“Hospitality emerged through the last global downturn, but this is different. We need to create environments where customers feel safe but that are not too clinical.
“People still want to enjoy their experience and the technology can reduce the level of contact but still provide the customer with a high level of service.
“Innovations such as digital door locking and opening, for example, completely cuts out the need for the touching of handles and surfaces from which the virus can be passed and reduces cleaning cycles for staff.”
Hop Software, launched in 2017, is a cloud-based system, which enables accommodation to be run from any smart device or phone, simplifies hotel functions and generates staff efficiency data for HR departments.
The company has 30 staff who have helped to evolve the product in line with the health crisis.
Chief executive Jon Erasmus said Hop’s sales team had been busy as hotels in Scotland are allowed to reopen from today.
He said: “Because our entire system is integrated in one place, and there is no need to pay for third party add-ons, our systems will save hotels thousands of pounds in bills each year.
“Given lockdown, every hospitality business worldwide is looking at reducing costs, so we are well placed in the market.”
Room service can be ordered from the app on any device, complete with a chosen time-slot when customers can have their food and drink delivered to their room by staff.
The paperless system is environmentally friendly whilst avoiding the handling of receipts between staff and guests.
A text service alerts guests to Covid-compliant measures in place in the establishment as well as services available to them.